WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After kicking off the Barry Odom era with three straight home games, Purdue Football hits the road for the first time under its new head coach. The Boilermakers make the 112-mile trip north to South Bend, Ind., to face No. 21 Notre Dame with the Shillelagh Trophy up for grabs. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
QUICK HITS
- The Boilermakers finished the homestand 2-1, winning the first two games before dropping the Big Ten opener against USC in a game that was delayed three hours and five minutes due to lightning.
- Purdue and Notre Dame are meeting for the 89th time in a series that started in 1896 with a 28-22 Boilermaker victory. The two programs have battled for the Shillelagh since 1957.
- Throughout history, the Boilermakers are 4-2 on September 20. That includes a four-game winning streak on that date.
- Nearly 75 years ago (Oct. 7, 1950), an unranked Purdue upset No. 1 Notre Dame 28-14 at Notre Dame Stadium. It was the first of four Purdue victories throughout history when the Fighting Irish were ranked No. 1 in the country, all between 1950-1967.
- Notre Dame is one of six current Top 25 teams on Purdue’s schedule this season. A year ago, the Boilermakers became the first team in history to face five College Football Playoff teams during the regular season.
- The Purdue defense has not given up a touchdown in the second half this season.
- Devin Mockobee is currently ranked in the program Top 10 in several career categories: 100-yard rushing games (4th), rushing yards (5th), rushing touchdowns (9th).
- Quarterback Ryan Browne ranks fourth in the Big Ten in passing, averaging 262.0 yards per game. Browne has eclipsed 300 yards passing in two of the three games this season.
- Browne’s 14.04 yards per completion ranks 15th in the nation.
- Sophomore linebacker Charles Correa is one of two underclassmen in the country to have at least 20 tackles, 3.5 tackles-for-loss and 1.5 sacks this season (MarcAnthony Parker – Navy).
- Three Boilermakers crack the nation’s Top 25 in solo tackles. Tahj Ra-El ranks 18th with 16 solo tackles (5.3 per game), while Correa and Myles Slusher are tied for 23rd with 15 solo tackles (5.0 per game).
- Purdue is one of two teams (Kansas State) nationally to have three players with at least 15 solo tackles.
- EJ Horton Jr. and Michael Jackson III led the Boilermakers with 70 receiving yards apiece last week. It marked the first time since Purdue’s victory in the 2023 Old Oaken Bucket Game that two Boilermakers recorded at least 70 receiving yards in the same game.
- Jack McCallister is the first Purdue punter to average at least 50 yards per punt in a game (min. 3 punts) twice in a season since Jared Armstrong in 2006.
BATTLE FOR THE SHILLELAGH TROPHY
- One of the most played matchups in Purdue Football history, Saturday's Shillelagh Trophy Game will be the 89th all-time meeting between the Boilermakers and Notre Dame.
- Purdue has only played four opponents more times than the Fighting Irish: Indiana (126), Illinois (100), Iowa (94) and Wisconsin (91).
- Purdue and Notre Dame have played for the Shillelagh since 1957. It was donated by Joe McLaughlin, a merchant seaman and a Fighting Irish fan who brought the club from Ireland.
- Purdue claimed three out of five games from Notre Dame from 2003-07, taking ownership of the Shillelagh Trophy in 2003, 2004 and 2007.
SUCCESS VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
- Purdue has beaten seven ranked teams over the past seven seasons despite being the underdog in each one of those games.
- Three of those wins were against Top 3 teams, while Purdue handed five of those ranked teams their first loss of the season.
- The victories during the 2021 campaign (No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Michigan State) gave Purdue multiple wins over Top 5 teams in one season for the first time since 1960 (No. 3 Ohio State, No. 1 Minnesota).
- Five of the seven wins have been by double digits, the biggest being a 29-point victory over No. 2 Ohio State in 2018.
- Purdue has defeated a ranked Notre Dame team 16 times throughout history, including seven wins when the Fighting Irish cracked the Top 5 and four victories when Notre Dame was the No. 1 team in the country (1950, 1954, 1965, 1967).
LOCKDOWN DEFENSE
- After giving up some record-breaking numbers last year, the Purdue defense has locked down under new head coach Barry Odom and defensive coordinator Mike Scherer.
- The Boilermaker defense has not given up a touchdown in the second half this season. A 70-yard pick six by USC was the only touchdown scored by an opposing team after halftime.
- Purdue’s defense has surrendered just nine second half points over the first three games.
- The Boilermakers shut out Ball State in the season opener, one of 10 teams to start the year with a shutout, allowing only 203 yards of total offense.
- In the final three quarters against SIU, Purdue only gave up three points and 130 yards, including just 66 yards in the second half.
FROM GEORGIA TO PURDUE
- In the offseason, the Purdue wide receiver room welcomed a pair of Georgia transfers who have become an important part of the Boilermaker offense.
- After making the move north, Michael Jackson III and Nitro Tuggle have combined for 21 catches for 372 yards and three touchdowns through the first three games of the season.
- Jackson leads the Boilermakers in receptions (14), while Tuggle’s two receiving touchdowns are tied for a team best.
- Both receivers had their biggest games as Boilermakers in the B1G opener against USC. Jackson paced Purdue with seven receptions for 70 yards, and Tuggle added four catches for 69 yards and a touchdown, all season highs for the dynamic duo.
FAST START
- Purdue got off to fast starts in its first two games of the season. The Boilermakers scored touchdowns on their first two drives in both games, totaling 28 points. Purdue scored only 13 first quarter points Purdue throughout all of last season.
- Arhmad Branch scored Purdue’s first touchdown in both games. The wide receiver has gotten off to fast starts of his own, recording five catches for 129 yards and two touchdowns in first quarters this year.
- It took the Boilermakers two plays and only 36 seconds to score for their first points of the season. After a 13-yard run by Devin Mockobee, Ryan Browne found Branch down the middle of the field. The sophomore wideout broke multiple tackles and added a smooth spin move before finding the end zone for the 49-yard touchdown.
- The last time Purdue scored within the first minute of the season was at the start of the 1981 campaign.
IN-STATE OPPOSITION
- A schedule rarity, Purdue has three opponents from the state of Indiana this season.
- Purdue downed Ball State 31-0 to start the year.
- The Boilermakers will square off with Notre Dame for the Shillelagh Trophy on Sept 20.
- Purdue will close the regular season with the 100th Old Oaken Bucket Game against Indiana on Black Friday (Nov. 28)
- It marks the second straight season the Boilermakers will face three in-state foes and just the fifth time in the last 25 years.
THAT'S A FACT, JACK - FOR THE BRAND
- A starting punter for the past three seasons at Washington, senior Jack McCallister had no problem bringing his talents from the Pacific Northwest to West Lafayette.
- A weapon for the Boilermakers, McCallister's punts have forced opponents to a starting field position of their own 10.8-yard line.
- McCallister has punted six times on the year for an average of 52.3 yards per boot. He has dropped five ball inside the 20-yard line and launched four punts of 50 yards or more with a long of 68.
- Against USC, McCallister was called upon three times for an average of 54.3 yards per game, including a 68-yard boot.
- The 68-yard punt was the longest by a Boilermaker since Brooks Cormier's 69-yard punt against Minnesota in 2019.
- He is one of three Purdue punters to average 50+ yards on a minimum of three punts twice in a season since at least 1995 joining Jared Armstrong (2006) and Travis Dorsch (2000, 2001).
- In his Purdue debut, McCallister punted three times and averaged 50.3 yards per punt with all three landing inside the 20-yard line.
- He was named to the Ray Guy Award Ray's 8 after Week 1 and Week 3 of the season.